More people will die if ministers respond to populist campaigns like this

More people will die if ministers respond to populist campaigns like this

The Ipsos poll on which this is based The issue here who is going to be next in the vaccination queue once categories 1-4 have been completed which should be by the middle of February. The current plan is to go to group five which is people in their 60s NOT teachers or other groups for which the media can whip up special pleading. The priority order has been based on ensuring that most vulnerable get their jabs first. Yet…

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The big vaccine divide: The UK’s approach is politician led while the EU’s is run by its officers

The big vaccine divide: The UK’s approach is politician led while the EU’s is run by its officers

The above pic of Johnson highlights the very different way in which the EU and the UK is approaching the effort to vaccinate those most at risk from COVID. For their is no reason why Boris should be there except to get the media coverage. It is hard to imagine a senor EU official arranging a media event where he/she could be pictured watching vaccination in action. Their job is to follow the rules that exist and those in charge…

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The vaccine wars shouldn’t surprise us given how COVID has blighted life around the world

The vaccine wars shouldn’t surprise us given how COVID has blighted life around the world

The increasingly bitter political wrangling going on about vaccines reminds me of the plot in what’s regarded as the greatest movie ever made “The Third Man”. This it will be recalled was based on the Graham Green novel and was set in post-war Vienna. It was about the murder of a racketeer who was exploiting the shortage of penicillin supplies of which could lead to people living rather than dying. Given that the prospect of being vaccinated could ensure that…

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A glimmer of hope?

A glimmer of hope?

As 74 year old with a range of conditions I feel a lot happier this afternoon after getting an appointment for my first jab at the weekend. What could be potentially problematic for ministers is how the roll out seems to vary depending on where you live. It would be good to see some data splits on the vaccine totals based on more specific local data beyond just the national regions. Overall though the trend is positive and hopefully the…

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Powerful front page from the Daily Mail as UK COVID deaths top 100k

Powerful front page from the Daily Mail as UK COVID deaths top 100k

Today’s Daily Mail front pages looks set to one of those that will be remembered and referred back to in the time to come. You can see it being used as one of the pics in the biographies that are likely to be written after he has stood down and will also be clipped for posterity by obituary writers. COVID has been the defining part of his premiership so far and it is still going on with the fatalities having…

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The first Senate impeachment vote splits 55-45 suggesting that the required two thirds majority unlikely

The first Senate impeachment vote splits 55-45 suggesting that the required two thirds majority unlikely

Just fiveĀ GOP Senators joined Democrats in voting to go forward with the impeachment trial against Trump for his role stirring up a mob that attacked the Capitol. The vote was on a move to stop the process taking place at all and gives a good indication of the likely outcome when the final vote is put in a fortnight’s time. A problem for Republican senators is that this vote might make them popular with the MAGA faction in the party’s…

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YouGov poll restricted to England has Remain with a 10% lead if the 2016 Brexit referendum was held now

YouGov poll restricted to England has Remain with a 10% lead if the 2016 Brexit referendum was held now

But if there was a referendum on re-joining “Against” is just ahead YouGov has released details of its England only weekend poll for the Sunday Times and the panel above shows some interesting findings. The top two might seem contradictory but I think it just highlights that people are very reluctant about change. It is not often we see an England only survey and the overall impression of the set of numbers above is that the English are mostly opposed…

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The polling that shows that Boris is NOT the right UK leader to protect the union

The polling that shows that Boris is NOT the right UK leader to protect the union

Sturgeon has an astonishing net Ipsos MORI satisfaction lead over him of 107% The above polling chart is from Ipsos MORI’s last all Scotland poll which admittedly took place in October. I doubt very much whether the figures have changed much since and hopefully we’ll see its next all Scotland poll in February. We all remember Boris Johnson’s victorious night in December 2019 when he won a substantial Commons majority. That would have been even better for the party if…

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